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ISPM 15 is the 'International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Publication No. 15: Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade'. The full text of this standard is available from the International Phytosanitary Portal.

ISPM 15 was developed to address the global spread of timber pests by regulating the movement of timber packing and dunnage in international trade. ISPM 15 describes phytosanitary measures to reduce the risk of introduction and/or spread of quarantine pests associated with solid timber packing material (includes dunnage).

The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) addresses plant quarantine through the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The IPPC is an international treaty administered by the FAO and implemented through the cooperation of member governments. many countries now are members or 'contracting parties' to the treaty.

As for all other ISPMs, the Secretariat to the IPPC coordinated the development and preparation of ISPM 15 over a period of time through an agreed and defined process of draft development and country consultation.

ISPMs are recognised as the basis for phytosanitary measures applied by members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement).

The Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) adopted ISPM 15 in March 2002. The establishment of a Commission on Phytosanitary Measures that will serve as the global agreement's new governing body was provided for in a 1997 revision to the text of the IPPC. Members of the new Commission will be the contracting parties to the IPPC. The FAO established the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) as an interim measure until the New Revised Text of the IPPC comes into force.

More detailed information on the ICPM, the IPPC (including its relationship to international trade), and other international agreements is provided on the International Phytosanitary Portal, the official website for the International Plant Protection Convention.

Further information on the WTO and FAO including the SPS Agreement, is available from the WTO website.

By definition, timber packing and dunnage are defined as follows:

• Packing is used to support, protect or carry a commodity.
• Packing includes dunnage, pallets, crating, packing blocks, drums, cases, load boards, pallet collars and skids.
• Packing can be constructed of any number of materials including timber (or wood).
• Dunnage is used to secure or support a commodity but does not remain associated with the commodity.

NOTE ON AUSTRALIA:
Even though plywood and veneer peeler cores used in the construction of packing falls outside the scope of ISPM 15, Australia regulates the import of packing made entirely or partly of these products.
AQIS import requirements for packing made of solid timber, plywood and/or veneer peeler core are provided in the AQIS publication 'Cargo Containers: Quarantine aspects and procedures'. The AQIS Import Conditions database, ICON, also provides import requirements.
For importation into Australia packing made from Chipboard, MDF, HDF and other manufactured products do not require treatment. More information on packing made from these reconstituted wood products is available on the AQIS Import Conditions database, ICON. These products are not considered to be timber or wood by AQIS and do not need to be declared on packaging declarations.

Timber packing and dunnage bearing the mark below is certified as having been subjected to an ISPM 15 approved treatment.

An ISPM 15 compliant mark must include:

• The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) symbol
• The ISO two letter country code "XX" (e.g. AU for Australia, US for United States, NZ for New Zealand, GB for United Kingdom) followed by a unique number "000" assigned by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) to the producer of the timber packing. This component of the mark enables the producer of the timber packing or dunnage to be identified.
• "YY" indicates the ISPM 15 approved treatment applied to the timber packing material or dunnage, where:
  - HT represents heat treatment.
  - MB represents methyl bromide fumigation.
  - The letters DB represent debarking. DB may be added to the abbreviation of the ISPM 15 approved treatment. For example, "HT DB" represents heat treatment and debarking and "MB DB" represents methyl bromide fumigation and debarking.

The ISPM 15 compliant stamp may include further information as NPPOs, producers and suppliers may choose to include additional information for identification purposes.

To aid in validation inspections ISPM 15 compliant marks should be clearly visible. To be ISPM 15 compliant only 1 mark is required. The marks must be permanent and not transferable. Hence metal plates and stickers are not acceptable. In addition, ink and paint stamps have proven to be non-permanent as many stamps entering the importing country have become illegible during transport. Many countries, therefore, recommend the use of heat branding.

NOTE: Australian AQIS recommends that ISPM 15 marks appear on at least two opposite sides of the article being certified.

According to the ISPM 15 standard, ISPM 15 marked solid timber packing (includes dunnage) may be used again. However, when they are re-exported from one country to another, it is the exporter's responsibility to ensure that it meets the requirements of the importing country.